NOTEWORTHY NEWS

Classes, Grades, and Time Management

This is a big one for the young ones especially, but the older you get the harder the classes get! While the marching band isn’t MORE important than the classes the students are taking, however, their commitment to each other and to the team is AS important. The essential ingredient for success is to not put yourself in a position to have to CHOOSE between them!

This part is mostly for the students to read, and is completely based on my own experiences in 12 years of teaching high school band (take it for whatever it’s worth!):

At whatever level you’ve been as a student up to this point (perennial Straight A student, A/B student, etc….), there are essential ingredients to maintaining that when dealing with the added commitment of the activity:

When you added marching band, what did you sacrifice to maintain your academic status? To think that you can add something, yet not take something away, and not see a negative effect, is a bit foolhardy.

What to give up? There may be recreational activities that you may have to put on the back burner. Perhaps less Internet browsing. Less time on the ‘gram. You choose.

Have your study habits changed, and in what ways, to compensate for the reduced amount of time you have after school now?

In my opinion, More time is RARELY the solution to improving studies. Parkinson’s Law States, “The Amount of work to be done expands to fit the time allotted”. This means, if you give yourself 3 hours to do a 1-hour task…it’ll take 3 hours!

Make a schedule for yourself to follow weekly. It’s a LOT easier to follow something that’s written down

Being efficient and managing your time is key. Again, this may leave little time for weekday recreation, but such is the reality of adding a new activity to your life!

If you are struggling, have you asked for help??

We have ample students who are older and experienced in all classes. They are a great resource.

We do not begin on Tu and Thurs until 4:30 so that you may participate in tutoring or study or do homework. Use that time!!!!

Your band directors are VERY kind, reasonable, helpful people. Come to us before there’s an emergency.

DON”T GET BEHIND!!!!!!

Let’s make a pact – Let’s never BLAME the marching band for your academic troubles. Perhaps you aren’t managing your time well YET. Perhaps you struggle with time management RIGHT NOW. Perhaps you haven’t started tutoring YET. All of these things are controllable, fixable outcomes. It’s not the marching band’s FAULT. It’s not a thing that can take blame. The schedule has been set since you joined in May, and it will not change. Make adjustments. Make sacrifices. Ask for help!!!!

I’ll close with this. I made 4 promises to EVERY SINGLE STUDENT in the marching band back on July 18th:

I will Love and Care for you the best I know how

I will never lie to you

I will stand by you in support, through thick and thin/good and bad, until you walk across the stage at graduation and beyond

We have rules and boundaries, don’t break them or there will be consequences.

4 things: Love, Honesty, Support, Discipline; those are the things that you should EXPECT from me. What I expect from you is your best efforts, your attendance, and a good attitude; all the time.

Remember that you are a member of the largest student organization on campus. You are building life long relationships every single day. You are learning the value of hard work, discipline, hustle, efficiency, accountability, team work, etc… every single day. And when you take the field at the Georgia Dome in October, it will be an experience that you will never forget!!! And as soon as it’s over (and it will end), you’ll wish it hadn’t!